


The House

by BetweenKandM



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: 24/7 Slavery, Age Play, BDSM, Daddy!Jim, Domestic Discipline, F/F, F/M, Kink, Little Ryan Howard, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Paddling, Pam is super supportive, Polyamory, Ryan is broken, Self-Harm, Slave!Angela, Spanking, Submissive!Dwight, Suicide Attempt, little!ryan, slave - Freeform, top!jim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:15:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27753676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetweenKandM/pseuds/BetweenKandM
Summary: The fic no one asked for: Jim, Pam, Angela, Dwight, and Ryan are all in a relationship. Ryan is a little, Dwight is submissive, Jim is Dominant, Angela is a slave, and Pam is just in love with everyone. They all live together and this is the story of their lives together.Erin is a therapist, she was never employed at Dunder Mifflin. Pam and Jim don't have kids.Trigger Warning for Chapter 1: Suicide attempt and referenced suicide attempts.Contains consensual spanking, slavery, and age play. Don't like it don't read it.
Relationships: Angela Martin/Dwight Schrute, Jim Halpert/Angela Martin, Jim Halpert/Dwight Schrute, Jim Halpert/Ryan Howard, Jim Halpert/Ryan Howard/Dwight Schrute, Pam Beesly/Angela Martin, Pam Beesly/Dwight Schrute, Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert, Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert/Angela Martin/Dwight Schrute, Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert/Dwight Schrute, Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert/Ryan Howard, Pam Beesly/Ryan Howard, Pam Beesly/Ryan Howard/Dwight Schrute, Ryan Howard/Angela Martin, Ryan Howard/Dwight Schrute
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	The House

**Author's Note:**

> Ryan is feeling overwhelmed today and makes some pretty poor choices as a result. He deals with the consequences when Jim gets home from work. Jim remembers Ryan's suicide attempt from several years ago.

Ryan said goodbye to Angela that morning with his heart racing. He was supposed to be going to his weekly therapy session. Instead, he drove to a starbucks nearby and spent the next fifty minutes trying to distract himself with anything he could. A big emphasis on the  _ trying _ part of that sentence. Anxiety and the guilt he felt started to gnaw away at him as soon as he arrived at the coffee chain. He regretted his decision already but couldn’t bring himself to go to Erin’s or go home. He let his emotions rage inside of him and continue to eat at him until he arrived how around the same time he would have if he had actually gone to therapy that day. 

When he had first come up with this grand plan, it had seemed like a fantastic idea. Like a fool proof plan even, how would anyone know he hadn’t gone to his session? Well anyone other than Erin. He briefly wondered, as he left at the same time he normally did, if Erin would tell his Daddy but he tried to shake that thought out of his head. He made a show of coming in through the garage and waving at Angela, who was in the kitchen preparing dinner, before heading upstairs to his room. It wasn’t unlike him to spend the rest of his day in his room after a session, they typically wore him out, so that’s what he planned to do. On his way there, however, he wavered in front of Jim’s room. Curling up in his Daddy’s bed instead of his own seemed much more comforting, so after a moment of hesitation he made the decision to grab Ollie his stuffed octopus and settle down in Jim’s room. He didn’t think his Daddy would mind too much.

Ryan had put his phone on do not disturb mode before leaving the house that day and checked his messages for the first time since. He was a little nervous to listen to Erin’s voicemail, but he shouldn’t have been, she was just making sure he was okay and asking if he was planning on coming since he was late. The text message she had sent was a little more concerning, not the message itself but who all she had sent it to. She was just asking if he was okay and to please reach out to her if he needed to reschedule for later in the week - but she had sent it to him and Jim. Dread filled Ryan’s stomach at this point, he felt like he might puke. His fool proof plan had ended up backfiring, big time. He felt terrible about it and now he was in trouble also, Ryan took a few minutes to feel sorry for himself before opening the text from Daddy. Jim had called him a few times, so had Dwight and Pam, and it was against the rules to ignore calls or messages without good reason from anyone in the family. Daddy’s message said he hoped that Ryan was okay, to call him, and that they would talk when he got home. Ryan tried not to cry, anytime Daddy said ‘talk’ he meant ‘spank.’

He had tried to tell Jim that he really was not up to going to his session today when Jim was tucking him last night. Jim had shut that thought down as quickly as it had come out of Ryan’s mouth. He said the only way that Ryan was not making it to his appointment was if Ryan was sick or injured and since he was neither, he was going. The young man pulled the blankets around himself as he curled up around Ollie as tightly as he could. Under the safety of the blanket, surrounded by Daddy’s scent, exhausted from the stress of his day, Ryan soon let a fitful sleep claim him. 

_ THEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSE _

_ Hey Ryan, I missed you at our session today. I hope that you’re feeling okay. Please reach out to me if you would like to reschedule for later in the week and we’ll try to get you in. -Erin _

Behind the safety of his office door, Jim read the text message over and over again. He had called Erin to let her know that Ryan was likely at home, avoiding them both, and recounted the conversation he had had with the boy the night before. Jim was frustrated that Ryan had made the decision not to go even after they had talked about it. It wasn’t like Ryan to flat out rebel, that was more of a Dwight move. He sent Angela a message instructing her to notify him as soon as Ryan made it home before calling Dwight and Pam into his office so that he could let them know what was going on, just in case Ryan decided not to go home. 

Waiting for that text from Angela, or a reply from Ryan, felt like an eternity passed him by when really it only took about a half an hour. Just enough time for Ryan to ‘drive home from therapy.’ He spent that time vacillating between concern and frustration and trying to prevent himself from imagining the worst of possible scenarios. And of course this was going on at the same time Michael was holding some inane conference room meeting about something he called tube city. He had almost no patience for Michael but luckily Dwight and Pam helped run interference and allowed him to do the bare minimum to prevent that from happening. Jim just wanted to find his boy, the need increasing with each unanswered call from any member of the family. 

Jim understood that Ryan would have days that he didn’t want to or wasn’t up to going to therapy. But he also knew, and he thought that Ryan knew, Erin didn’t expect the boy to work at every session. Ryan was in charge of their pace, and if he needed to spend that week talking about his favorite TV shows or working out his frustrations with play dough or other art, he was allowed to do that. Erin had no problem with Ryan taking a break. Maybe he would ask if Ryan wanted him to start going with him to sessions again. He briefly worried that Erin was making Ryan uncomfortable. It had taken them a while to find a therapist that Ryan didn’t dread seeing and that was okay with the family they had built and the dynamics within and Jim dreaded the thought of finding another Erin.

Just as he was packing up his things for the day, Angela sent him a text letting him know that the boy was safe and sound at home and had made his way upstairs after checking in with her. That was pretty normal behavior for Ryan, but it didn’t mean that he was okay. He also tended to hide when he was feeling guilty about his behavior or thought he might be in trouble, and his favorite place to hide from the world was in his bed with Ollie. Jim’s palm itched as he typed out a quick thank you to his girl before letting Dwight and Pam know that Ryan had made it home. The three quickly shut down their work spaces and said polite goodbyes to their coworkers, turning down offers to meet up at Poor Richard’s. 

The ride home seemed to take longer than usual, Pam and Dwight had calmed down at the new’s of their lover’s safe arrival at home, but Jim was still keyed up. He likely wouldn’t settle down until he can see the boy with his own eyes. 

“I’m putting Ryan on restriction for the next two weeks.” Jim said after silence had fallen in the car. He often talked to Pam about punishments, while she did not hand out more than a lecture here and there herself she helped Jim make sure that he wasn’t being unreasonable and that he was going into things with a cool head. The last thing he ever wanted was to take advantage of anyone or abuse the power they gave him. 

“I think that’s warranted. Although our museum trip is in about ten days. Those tickets were expensive and nonrefundable.” Pam trailed off. It would be a lie if she said she wouldn’t be upset about canceling her and Ryan’s trip to New York. It had been planned for months now and none of the other family members really had an interest in art the way she and Ryan did.

“I’m not going to ask you to cancel that, Pam. I know how much it means to both of you. He can just be on restriction until then instead.” 

At home Jim took a moment to check in with Angela and ensure that all of her tasks for the day had been completed, that dinner was on track, before he proceeded upstairs to find his wayward boy. He ended up not having to look for him very far as Jim’s bedroom was the first at the top of the stairs. 

The five of them hadn’t always lived together. The family had started out as just Angela and Dwight for several years. Once Jim had started working at Dunder Mifflin it was like Dwight was a magnet for him, he couldn’t stay away. Angela hadn’t minded sharing the older man with Jim. Angela and Dwight were so in love, but each needed something they couldn’t give each other. Dwight was a brat through and through, and Angela was a slave. Jim slowly fell in love with Angela, but he wouldn’t become her Master until after he and Pam had gotten together. Pam and Dwight had always had a special bond, even before Jim started at Dunder Mifflin. It was honestly like the four of them were made for eachother, as cringy and cheesy as that sounds. For a while they tried to live separately, Dwight and Angela and Schrute Farms and Pam and Jim at their own home, but eventually they realized how much time they spent together anyway so Pam and Jim packed up, sold their home, and moved to Schrute farms and never looked back. 

None of them had been looking for another partner to add to the mix, they were pretty content with the family they had built. But Ryan had walked into Dunder Mifflin and, for Jim, the rest was history. Something about Ryan pulled at him until he couldn’t ignore it any longer. One day, with the family's blessing, he took a risk and asked the younger man on a date. The whole office knew that Jim and Pam were married, but they didn’t know about the couple’s involvement with the other married couple. Jim had been transparent with Ryan, laying it all out for him to make his own informed decisions. But doing so could have cost the three of them their jobs, at this point Angel had made the transition to full time slave. The rest, as they say, was history. 

Ryan was asleep in Jim’s bed, sprawled out in an uneasy sleep. He had a hard time convincing himself to wake the boy up but after watching him toss and turn for a few minutes he took pity on him and joined him in bed. Ryan was a light sleeper and woke as soon as the bed dipped beside him. Jim slipped under the covers and pulled his little boy close to his chest. Ryan curled into his Dominant and tried not to cry for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Jim waited for Ryan to speak first and used that time to comfort himself and the younger man.

“I made a bad choice, Daddy.” Ryan whispered, uncomfortable with the silence that engulfed him. He knew a lecture was coming and he hated when Daddy made him wait for them. 

“Hmmm, which bad choice were you referring to Ryan Bailey?” Jim asked calmly. 

“Which?” Ryan stammered.

“Oh yes, which. By my count you have several bad choices that we need to talk about.” He began, pulling Ryan into a sitting position so that he could look the boy in his eyes as he spoke. “You skipped your therapy session after I told you that was unacceptable, you didn’t tell anyone where you were, and you ignored quite a few phone calls and messages from the family. Do I have that right, Ryan?” 

Ryan mumbled an agreement and he tried to blink back tears. He wished he could go back and start over. Therapy would have sucked for an hour but he wouldn’t be in trouble if he had just gone. 

“Going to therapy is non negotiable, Ryan Howard. I mean that. If one of us has to start taking you to your appointments I can arrange that. You don’t have to work at every session, Ry, I know that Erin has been over that with you, but you do have to go. If Erin isn’t working out anymore we can start looking for a new therapist - but not going is not an option right now. Jim was stern, but not harsh, as he spoke.

“No! I like Erin!” Ryan had gone through several therapists before they had found Erin. She was a little quirky, but she made Ryan feel at ease and she was comfortable with and supportive of their family. The guy before Ryan had tried to make him leave the family, he didn’t want that. “Do I need to try and get another appointment for this week?” He asked.

“I think that is between you and Erin at this point. I do think that you should give her a call tomorrow and discuss it with her. You told me that you needed a break this week, but your behavior today makes me think that you needed it more than usual.” 

“Yes, sir.”

“Ryan,” Jim began, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to find the words to convey himself. “I love you. I want you to be happy, healthy, and safe. Part of getting you to that place is therapy. Neither of us wants you back in the hospital, so if I have to be an asshole and drag you to therapy each week to keep you out of there, then I will be that asshole.” What Jim didn’t say was all he had thought about that afternoon was the night he had found Ryan and the weeks after, that every time Ryan had a bad day he had a hard time not overreacting because the images of how he found him flashed through his mind over and over again. But this wasn’t about Jim, it wasn’t Ryan’s job to make Jim feel better about his mental health. Ryan’s only job was working on himself. 

“I know, Daddy. I’m sorry.” 

Jim took a moment to embrace the younger man before setting him on his feet next to the bed. “Go get your paddle for me, Ryan.” He instructed, shooing the boy towards the doorway. While the family had many instruments that they shared, and that Angela kept meticulously clean, each submissive had their own special paddle that Jim had purchased specifically for them. Ryan’s was a little bit larger than a hairbrush and was handcrafted from a beautiful cherry wood with Ryan’s name burned into the handle. Dwight’s was a clear lexan paddle with seven holes in it as his brat quite frequently chased a more intense spanking, and Angela’s was thin and shaped like a paint stick made from a light ash wood. Ryan didn’t leave Jim waiting long and soon appeared by his side again. 

“How many times have we had to talk about you answering your phone, Ryan?” Jim asked as he pulled Ryan to stand between his legs and began the process of baring the boys lower half.

Ryan murmured something along the lines of ‘too many times,’ in response and tried not to moan. This definitely wasn’t the first time he had broken that particular rule even though he wasn’t the one who got the rule instate in the first place. One of Dwight’s favorite ‘fuck you’ moves when he is out of control is to take off without telling anyone where he was going. Early into Ryan’s joining the family, Dwight took off for five days. Jim even had him reported as a missing person that time. That had been a long week and the family meetings that ensued were painful ones. Everyone had felt like Dwight was trying to leave the family, which he had every right to do and it took a long time for Dwight to convince everyone that he still wanted to be there after that. Regardless, Jim now took ignoring the family very seriously. 

“I expect this to be the very last time we have to talk about answering your phone or skipping therapy sessions.” With that Jim pulled Ryan over his lap, they’d spent enough time talking. Both men knew why they were there, it was time to move on. Jim brought his hand down on Ryan’s upturned bottom, causing him to jump, and proceeded to set to work turning his behind from a crisp white to an angry red. It didn’t take long for his boy to turn into a sobbing, squirming mess, begging and promising anything if only Jim would stop. He picked up the paddle and rested it against the younger man's behind for a moment, giving Ryan a minute to collect himself before he began. 

“Skipping therapy is not acceptable, Ryan Bailey. Purposefully ignoring messages from any member of the family, especially when we don’t know where you are or how you are, is absolutely unacceptable. Do you know how worried we were when Erin contacted me to let me know you hadn’t shown up for your appointment? All of this could have been avoided had you gone to therapy and simply told Erin that you weren’t up to working today. I won’t have a repeat of this behavior, do you understand me?” Jim accented that last sentence with a swat with the paddle for each word causing Ryan to howl and sob apologies in response. 

By the time Jim set the paddle down on the bed next to him, Ryan lay limp across his lap. The boys backside was a dark, angry, red color, swollen, and obviously hurting. The older man let Ryan lie there for a few minutes, rubbing his back and murmuring to him about how he was forgiven and how much he loved the boy. Once Ryan had calmed down some, Jim helped him stand up and allowed him to wrap himself around the taller man. They stayed that way for several minutes, rocking back and forth, allowing Ryan to finish calming down. It had been some time since he had earned a spanking that severe and needed the extra reassurance. Angela was the one to break them apart, her knock at the door notifying them that dinner was ready when they were. Jim let her know they would be down in a minute and set Ryan back on his feet. 

“We’re not quite done, Ry.” Jim said as he helped his boy step back into his clothes, soothing him as both his underwear and pants made their way over his tender bottom and the boy looked like he may cry again. “Shh, no more spanking, don’t worry.” He patted Ryan on the hip once all of his clothing was righted. “You’re on restriction-”

“Daddy! Pam and I have our New York trip in ten days!” Ryan shrieked, jumping straight to outrage, without allowing Jim to finish his sentence. 

“Enough!” Jim growled. Ryan had enough sense to look cowed as he shut his mouth. 

“You are on restriction. That means the only places you are allowed to go are work and therapy. Someone will be driving you any time you do leave the house. Your bedtime is now nine pm.” He held up a hand to cut off any complaints the other man might have tried to interject. “I’m not going to punish Pam for your poor choices, Ryan. But I am expecting you to be on your best behavior, I’m talking golden boy behavior. As of right now you are only on restriction until you leave, but I will not hesitate to extend it beyond your return. Do I make myself clear?” 

“Yes, Daddy. I promise, you’ve never met a better boy!” Ryan nodded quickly and feigned crossing his heart. 

“All right kiddo, let’s go eat.” Jim scooped his boy up and carried him down to the kitchen.

_ THEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSE _

Downstairs in the kitchen the family enjoyed their dinner together. They did their best to leave any arguments, issues, punishments, or what have you outside of the kitchen. The kitchen and meal times were a neutral territory that everyone was expected to attend if you were going to be home. Angela made dinner for the family six nights a week, leaving Sunday as a everyone fend for yourself kind of night - although it usually turned into a let’s order pizza kind of night. Ryan loved their nightly dinners, the ritual of it, he loved joking around with Dwight and playing footsy with Angela under the table. It was a little thing, but having this one hour a day that he knew was going to be good was so comforting. 

After dinner it was Jim and Dwight’s night to clean up and Angela went about the house to do her nightly duties while Pam pulled Ryan upstairs for a bath. Honestly, he would have preferred to take a shower as it meant he wouldn’t have had to sit down any more. But he wasn’t about to turn down any time with Pam, especially not when she was in caretaker mode. Pam was what the rest of the family affectionately called ‘kink adjacent’ or ‘spicy vanilla.’ She loved the group sex, and the polyamory, and while she was very supportive of all the dynamics within their family the most she actively participated was with Ryan. She claimed that if it were not for Ryan she never would have ever thought of herself as a Caretaker and she had no interest in pursuing that relationship with anyone else. But she consented to Ryan calling her Mommy and they often played together or she would help put the boy to bed. That wasn’t to say she was afraid to hand out a very effective lecture to anyone being a shit-head, but for the most part she was the vanilla balance in their relationship.

“You had a pretty big day, didn’t you baby?” Pam asked as she got him settled in the tub, handing him a few of his favorite toys and adding a dash more bubbles to the still running water. She always gave him more bubbles than Jim thought was necessary, Ryan loved it. 

“Yeah, Mommy. Everything was just too much today and then I made it worse.” Ryan agreed, fiddling with one of his boats instead of looking her in the eye. He knew she was no longer upset with him, but he still found it hard to meet her eye.

“I was pretty worried about you. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.” Pam began to lather shampoo into the boy’s hair as she spoke. “You can always call or text me and I’ll come to you no matter what I’m doing.”

“I know, Mommy. I’m really sorry.” Tears threatened to fall from Ryan’s eyes at the mere mention of upsetting his lover, although he was surprised he had any tears left after all of the crying he’d already done that day. Disappointing Daddy was always hard, but with Mommy it was different. She never yelled, and she always forgave you, but she wasn’t going to let you get away with anything either. She held you to the highest standard and made sure that you held yourself to them as well. 

“It’s okay, baby. You and Daddy already dealt with it. I just wanted you to know that I forgive you too.” Ryan didn’t have a reply for that. He simply leaned into her touch as she continued to massage down his scalp and shoulders. “I was thinking of taking the day off tomorrow. I know that tomorrow Angela was planning on running a lot of errands and she wouldn’t be home for a large part of the day. But if I stay home with you, then you won’t have to spend the day alone.” Pam had already discussed this with Jim and Dwight on the way home, after they talked about the boy being put on restriction. Ryan only worked Monday through Wednesday at Dunder Mifflin, Thursday’s he had therapy and the rest of the week was typically his to do with as he pleased. 

“I’d really like that, Mommy.” Ryan sighed, he was exhausted even after his nap that afternoon. If Pam kept touching him like that, he may fall asleep in the tub he thought to himself. 

“Then it’s settled. We’ll make a whole day of it. Is there anything you would like to do in particular tomorrow?” Pam asked.

“Can we go to the zoo?” Ryan tried to dazzle her with the best puppy dog eyes he could muster, hopeful that Jim had forgotten to mention his restriction to her. 

“Maybe when you’re off restriction, Ryan Bailey.” Pam gave him a hard look. She never went against Jim when he handed out a punishment or a new rule for the family. “I was thinking more along the lines of having a movie marathon, or we could spend the day playing monopoly or other board games.”

Ryan tried not to sigh as he assured his lover that both of those options sounded wonderful. Pam spoiled him and he knew it, but there was no way she was going to let him get away with crossing Daddy. He also didn’t want to push it in case Daddy tried to take New York away from him. They spent the rest of the bath talking about their plans for the garden now that spring was coming around before she finished getting Ryan ready for bed. Nine o’clock was getting here a lot faster than he thought it would. 

_ THEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSETHEHOUSE _

  
  


_ \- Begin Flashback - _

_ Three Years Ago _

“That’s it. I’m going over there.” Jim jumped up from the couch as thunder crashed over head. Ryan was terrified of thunderstorms and all Jim could picture in his mind was his frightened little boy all alone. 

“Jim,” Pam began as she gently tried to tug the taller man back down onto the couch. “There’s a reason he hasn’t reached out to us or answered any of our calls.”

“Yeah, it’s called he broke up with us.” Dwight scoffed. Jim saw right through his act, he knew that Dwight was trying to pretend he wasn’t hurting just as much as the rest of them were, but the comment still pissed him off. 

“That’s enough, Dwight.” Jim barked at the shorter man before sighing and rubbing at his face. “I’m sorry, I’m just worried. I’m going over there. He’ll just have to break up with me to my face instead of just ignoring all of my calls.” 

“Be safe!” Angela called after him, but he was already gone. He’d left without his raincoat but it felt like he didn’t have time to go back for it. All that mattered was getting to Ryan.

The town home was totally dark when Jim pulled up, which was totally unlike Ryan. He constantly left lights on in every room, even when he wasn’t home, because he hadn’t the dark so much. Jim had installed motion lights along the baseboards back at Schrute Farms, so that as the boy moved through the house at night he didn’t need to be afraid. The only indication Jim found that Ryan might even be home was the fact that his car was parked in it’s usual spot. 

Now that Jim was outside of the townhome he found himself nervous. What if Ryan really was just trying to ghost them? What if he didn’t want to see Jim ever again? He tried to shake himself, as if the physical act would expel his insecurities as he banged on the front door. Any attempt he made at yelling out to Ryan was covered by the raging storm and near constant thunder overhead. After several minutes of knocking to no avail, Jim reached for the door knob and found the home unlocked. 

Inside the darkness felt oppressive and eerie. “Ryan! Are you here?” Jim called out as he made his way from room to room. He used the flashlight on his phone as he made his way through the townhome, attempting to turn on the lights in each room but the power appeared to be out. He stumbled across a letter on the kitchen counter from the power company. It was a disconnection notice; his power was scheduled to be turned off three days ago. “Well that explains the lights.” Jim muttered to himself as he moved up the stairs. 

“Ryan, you in here babe?” Jim called out again as he knocked on the bedroom door at the top of the stairs. He paused before pushing the door open, internally warring with his anxiety of Ryan’s well being and feeling like he was violating Ryan’s trust and privacy. That feeling didn’t last for long however, a burst of lightning illuminating Ryan’s body in the bed in front of him. Ryan was curled up in a ball, trying to make himself as small as he possibly could, in defense against the storm. 

“Daddy?” Ryan moaned and lifted his head, but another clap of thunder had the boy crying out and returning to his tightly curled position. 

“Hey baby, it’s okay. Daddy’s here. Are you okay?” Jim asked as he moved further into the bedroom. 

“Scared. Don’t feel so good.” Ryan groaned again. 

“I know baby, we’re gonna get you out of here so fast. Do you want to come back home with me?” Jim asked as he moved around the room, trying to collect some of Ryan’s things into a backpack he found by the boy's desk. After shoving what clothes he could fit in the bag alongside his laptop, chargers, and phone Jim slung the bag across his shoulder and picked Ryan up, setting him on his hip, before grabbing his stuffed octopus and heading out the door. 

Jim was getting Ryan settled into the backseat of his car when he first noticed that the boy had something sticky running down his legs. He turned the car's overhead lights on and was finally able to see the blood that coated Ryan’s lower half and now himself. Ice cold fear shot through Jim as he pushed the pant leg further up Ryan’s thigh. Gashes tracked their way down Ryan’s thighs, some appeared deeper than others but Jim really couldn’t tell. He just knew that he needed help. He pulled Ryan back out into the rain, much to his lover’s dismay, and moved around to set him in the front passenger seat where it would be easier to keep an eye on him. He had a feeling Ryan would panic when he found out where Jim was taking him. 

“Ryan, we’re going to the emergency room, okay? We’ve got to get you looked at.” Jim said as he started the car. 

“No, no, no! No hospital! No doctors!” His previous docile boyfriend started to panic and Ryan reached for the door handle, struggling to unlock the door in his distress.

“Ryan Bailey Howard, if you open that door you will be in so much trouble!” Jim’s voice portrayed more confidence than he felt. He felt guilty using their power dynamic to coerce the boy into compliance, but he was scared. He didn’t know what else to do. 

“Please, Daddy! Don’t make me go to the hospital!” Ryan begged repeatedly as Jim pulled away from the curb. He sobbed, deep, heart wrenching cries as he promised the older man the world, if he would just take him home instead. 

“Baby, please calm down.” Jim did some begging of his own. “You’re hurt. We need to make sure that you’re okay. Some of those look like they may need stitches and we don’t want anything to get infected.” He tried to reason with the boy with little success. “I’ll stay with you the whole time, I promise.” Jim held one of Ryan’s hands the entire drive to the emergency room. 

Ryan’s tears continued even as he pulled the boy from the car. He refused to walk so Jim ended up carrying him, then the boy refused to be put down as they checked in and waited to be called. He fought nurses and doctors until Jim whispered threats to paddle him into next week if he didn’t start cooperating. The threat left a nasty feeling in his stomach and he hated himself for it, but it seemed to calm Ryan down more than it did harm in the moment. The rest of the night was a blur and honestly he was surprised the staff had let him stay with Ryan as long as they had. Eventually Ryan had to be sedated and then they had asked Jim to leave and return in the morning if he wanted to. Jim couldn’t bring himself to leave though, so he called Pam from the waiting room to fill her and the rest of the family in. Then he waited. He refused to leave Ryan for any longer than he had to. 

_ \- End Flashback - _


End file.
